Robbed
by Kazuki Naruse
Summary: (Requested by Tiffy-Chan858) KanoKido. Kano's past comes back to haunt him... Will he be able to face his fears or will another victim take his place? AND IT'S COMPLETED! WOOH! :D Please leave a review!
1. Past

"You useless little shit, look what you've done!" A tall woman with long blonde hair, acne scars, and deep purple bags under her tired eyes yelled. She pointed to the white porcelain fragments of a shattered coffee mug.

A scared little boy with golden hair that matched his eyes stood cowering in front of the cruel woman he called his mother. He hadn't meant to knock the mug off the table; he had been trying to reach his cereal.

She hit him. "What are you gonna do about this?" She continued to point to the mug, them hit him again, her fists moving quickly and powerfully at him. He winced with every punch, too scared to move. If he tried to dodge, she would only become angrier and hit harder.

She stopped and stomped out of the room, walking into the bathroom. He winced when she slammed the door. Taking one last look at the stained porcelain pieces, he grabbed the spare keys off the hook and ran out the front door, carefully closing and locking it without making a sound.

He ran out of the apartment building and down the street to the park, keeping his head down and the hood of his thin white jacket over it. He hoped his mother wouldn't recognize him if she looked out the window. If she saw where he was going, she would chase him down and beat him again.

He didn't stop until he was hidden behind a tree, his arms and legs throbbing with pain. Her punches would leave more bruises on his fragile, pale skin. He would have to hide them again. e couldn't let anybody know about his mother.

Kano felt tears streaming down his face. He deserved the beatings, he thought. He made so many mistakes. He just couldn't do anything right.

"Mph." The short, high-pitched cry interrupted his thoughts. Wiping the tears off his face, he leaned around the trunk of the tree, carefully peering out. The only other person in the park was a little girl who seemed to be a few years older than him. She had short brown hair and was wearing a red scarf despite the warm breeze that flew through the park. She was playing on horizontal balance bars, trying to hold herself up. Each time she fell, she landed with a thump and a soft "Mph."

Kano watched her fall one more time before taking action. He wanted to help her, to hold her up so she wouldn't get hurt. He wanted to prove he isn't useless after all.

He ran forward, heading towards her. The sand was soft beneath his feet; his tennis shoes sinking easily into the ground. He was unbalanced, unable to find proper footing and he ran. He started to lean further and further forward until his right slipped from beneath him and he fell to the ground, his bruised knees hitting the ground at the same time as his throbbing red hands.

Tears came back to his eyes, threatening to spill out as he sat on the ground. He really was useless; he couldn't even help someone who was struggling. He couldn't do anything. Why was he even alive?

"You alright ?" The voice matched the high-pitched cries he had heard until a few seconds ago. A shadow cast over the ground in front of him, darkening the sand at his fingers.

He looked up. A red string hung directly in front of his face, connected to the edge of the scarf being worn by the young girl he had seen earlier. Her brown hair hung in front of her eyes. He could barely tell that their color matched her brown locks.

She held out a small, thin hand. "You okay?" She repeated.

Kano panicked. He looked so lame having fallen on his butt like that! A laugh came out, stammering and nervous. "Yeah, yeah, I was just practicing a super skill that can defeat bad guys in one strike." STUPID. Why did he say that? Why did he say something so dumb?! She would laugh at him, mock him, make fun of him. She would call him dumb. He deserved that too.

"OOH, that's cool!" She said, smiling at him and still holding out her hand. She was serious; she really believed him. She believed his lie. He had successfully deceived her... Was he good at deceiving people?

He took her hand, wrapping his cold fingers around her warm, thin ones. She pulled him upwards, taking a step back to help him stand. He let go of her hand once both his feet were on the uneven ground.

She didn't drop it. "Ayano Tateyana." She said, introducing herself. She smiled at him, an innocent smile that proved she knew nothing of the cruelty of the rest of the world.

"Shuuya Kano." he responded, taking her hand and shaking it with a smile that mirrored hers.

She turned around and looked towards the entrance of the park. A man stood there, waiting for her, smiling. "I gotta go!" She said, facing Kano again with a joyful expression. "It was nice meeting you!" She started running towards the entrance. Standing in front of the man, she turned around and yelled, "See you soon Shuuya-kun!" She waved, not waiting for him to wave back before turning around and heading in the direction opposite from where he had come.

He waited for her to be long gone before leaving the park and heading off in the same direction.

He walked until he reached a small convenience store. The automatic doors opened to greet him, allowing access to the many aisles of snacks and fresh bento boxes. Towards the back were aisles of shelves stocked with random items from plates to chopsticks to cups. He headed for the shelves lined with coffee mugs.

The mug he had broken was s plain white one, stained by years of coffee. He picked out a clean, brand-new one. He carefully hooked the finger of his right hand around the handle of the mug. He would not break this one. He walked slowly towards the counter and put the mug down. The teenage girl at the cash register gave him a strange look before scanning the mug. He probably looked nervous or she thought he was too young to be out buying mugs by himself.

"That'll be three hundred yen." She said, an apathetic expression now residing on her face. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail behind her head. She was impatiently tapping her fingers on the counter as she waited for Kano to pull coins out of his pocket. His mother never gave him any allowance so the only money he had was that which he had found on the ground going and coming from school. He barely had enough to buy the mug. The teenager, clearly annoyed, droned out a "Thank you. Please come again." while she put the mug in a bag and sealed it with a "Paid." sticker.

He walked home very carefully, staring at his feet and holding the mug in both of his hands. He walked up the stairs of the apartment, one step at a time, releasing the mug with one hand so he could hold onto the railing.

When he arrived on his floor, there was only a short distance left to his apartment. If he made it that far, he was safe. His mother would forgive him. Maybe she would even be happy.

He pulled his keys out of his pocket before realizing the door was open. His mother must have come home early. She was supposed to work until late at night, but if she was sick, she came home early. He would make her a cup of her favorite coffee in the new mug. That would make her happy.

He walked in and the mug shattered on the floor for the second time. His mother was lying on the floor, her hands bound behind her back by a think rope. Her thick blonde hair was a tangled mess, lying in a ring on the ground around her head. A dark bruise was forming around her right eye.

She looked up when she heard him open the door. Her muffled screams sound like protests. She desperately tries to warn him, to get him to leave.

He doesn't. He runs to her, pulling the black gag off her mouth. "Get out of here!" she whispers harshly, struggling to get away from him. She knows she needs to push him away, to scare him off and get him to leave, otherwise he'll get hurt. Despite being useless, he's still her son. She doesn't want to outlive him. "Go, now!" She glares at him, trying to look as hateful and menacing as possible.

Kano got up, scared. He didn't want to be hit again, especially not now that he broke another mug. He was going to make her happy, but then he dropped it. He dropped his one chance at doing something nice for his mother.

He would not lose the chance when it came around once more.

As he was walking backwards, slowly, away from his mother while still looking at her to see if she would change her mind, he saw his chance. A large, dark shape moved in his peripheral vision. He turned towards it, startled. He hadn't even thought of why his mother was tied up or who could have hurt her. He had been so focused on trying to help her that he hadn't even thought of the danger level of his presence in the apartment.

The shape turned out to be a man, dressed in a large, ill-fitting black shirt. He wore baggy pants and a Halloween mask resembling Freddy Krueger. His hair was long and frizzy, though that appeared to be a wig.

Kano stared, frightened. There was a monster in his apartment. The hideous monster had hurt his mother. The hideous monster was stuffing his mother's jewelry into a bag.

The monster was stealing his mother's jewelry. It was taking away the small happiness his mother had. Every time she had saved up enough to buy a necklace or bracelet she really loved, she would be so happy. She would come home wearing a smile and she would ruffle his hair, telling him that hard work paid off. Those were the happiest days in his life. Those were the only days his mother loved him.

He wouldn't let the monster take those days away.

Despite his mother yelling at him to leave, he ran towards the monster, gathering up all the courage he could. The monster turned to face him as he ran, alerted by the screams coming from the woman he had gagged and bound only three minutes earlier.

The monster stared at the little boy running at him. What a bother.

He pulled out a knife, trying to scare the kid away before he could get any closer.

Kano kept running. He knew he could dodge a hit from the monster. He had gotten good at predicting his mother's movements. He had also gotten good at ignoring her voice when she shouted abuse at him. He could barely here her screams of protest as he disappeared into the room with the robber.

Noticing that the knife did nothing, the robber resorted to pushing Kano away, throwing him back and getting him out of the room. Kano couldn't dodge the large blow to his stomach. He flew backwards through the doorway and hit the ground on his side, crushing his arm. He heard a loud CRACK and a searing pain spread through his arm, reaching all the way up his shoulder to his neck. He felt as though he had caught on fire.

Kano's screams drowned out his mother's voice. He couldn't control his vocal chords.

"SHUT UP YOU DAMN BRAT!" the robber said, clearly irritated by the high-pitched shrieking. Kano couldn't. His mouth stayed wide open, screams escaping one at a time.

Even as the robber came towards him, knife out, the blade glinting in the sunlight, he couldn't stop. The knife got closer and closer to him. H e couldn't move; he couldn't dodge. Was he going to due here, like this? It doesn't matter; he was never more than a disappointment anyways.

He never saw her get up. He didn't see her as she stumbled a few steps with her feet tied together before lunging at him. He felt the weight of her body as she landed on his stomach, further crushing his arm. He screamed louder, the pain intensifying with each second.

His screams finally died when he saw the blood. It spurted out of her back then soaked through her shirt. A moment later it dripped on his good arm, staining his jacket crimson. His mother coughed and more blood came out.

Why? he wondered. Why did she protect him? Why is she bleeding, dying for him? He couldn't even get her jewelry back or protect her. Why would she protect a useless, incompetent idiot like him?

She said something to him, but he couldn't hear her. The knife was approaching him again, getting closer and closer to his exposed collar bone. His mother lay motionless, a weight he could not escape.

He barely felt the pain and the blade plunged into him, burying itself deep within his skin. He barely felt the warm blood slipping through his fingers as his hand moved to cover the hole left by the knife's absence.

His sight was enveloped in darkness, hissing deafening his hearing. Something coiled around his body. It tore through the hole and slithered into him.

He awoke some time later. The blood that had soaked through his shirt was still wet. He must not have been asleep long. His mother's corpse was still sprawled over him, shielding him from a danger that had long disappeared.

Why am I alive? he questioned. I was stabbed, I was bleeding; I was dying.

His stomach lurched when the stench of the blood, his and his mother's, reached his nose. He felt sick, nauseous even. He got up, pushing his mother's heavy body off him. He stumbled into the bathroom, leaning over the sink. Bile escaped out of his mouth and washed down he drain. Bile mixed with blood.

His flushed face looked up, his eyes finding the mirror.

His mother looked back at him. Her face was red and sweaty, her lips coated with bitter bile. She reeled back like Kano when she saw her reflection.

Kano reached forward. His mother did too. Their hands met on the mirror's surface, separated by the thin glass.

Kano touched his face. His mother did the same. He touched his hair. It was still short. He pulled it, watching as his mother held something invisible in the air. Her hair did not move. She seemed to be holding something at the same height as Kano held his hair.

He understood. He appeared as his mother though he was still himself physically. What he saw was only an illusion.

Those illusions would become him. They would take over his life, as would this day. This day would only foreshadow the day that would cost him everything.


	2. Present

"We'll be back before dinner!" Momo said, adjusting her boots while giving Hibiya a small push towards the door. The others were already waiting outside.

Kido glanced up from her iPod but didn't say anything. She went back to searching for a song in her playlist.

"Bring me back some con-OOMF." Kano's joke was interrupted by a punch to the stomach from Kido. Momo rolled her eyes and pushed a groaning Hibiya through the open doorway, waving back to the pair with a smile and a wink.

Kano and Kido were alone, the only two who had successfully opted out of the group shopping spree (Momo's idea, of course). Mary seemed excited so Seto agreed to go with her. Hibiya and Shintarou had been forced to tag along with Momo, which meant the Ene would come with Shintarou. Konoha went with Ene like a love-struck puppy, leaving only Kano and Kido behind in the hideout.

The house was awfully quiet with the absence of the seven Mekakushi Dan members. Kido pushed her earbuds into her ears, blasting music through them. Kano watched her, noting the way her long green hair spills from her hood and sways with her bobbing head and how her lips turn up into a smile as she listens to the songs she loves.

Twenty minutes later Kido fell asleep leaning against Kano, who had moved to sit next to her a few minutes after the group had disappeared. She hadn't objected, even as he put his arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly, she rested her head on his shoulder, sleepily closing her eyes.

The hideout was silent except for their steady heartbeats and Kido's soft breathing. The sound of a slight scraping at the door cut through it like a cleaver. It didn't sound like a key being turned into the lock; no, it sounded much clumsier.

Kano glanced at Kido's peaceful face. Should he wake her? Should he wait? Who was at the door? What was going on?

The scraping stopped. Silent seconds ticked by, slowly crawling past the two on the couch. For a moment Kano thought he had merely been imagining the noise.

BANG. The silence was killed by the door being kicked down. It fell to the ground like a fallen shield. Two large men wearing ski masks and dark clothing walked in.

"What if someone heard that?" the shorter, clearly younger one mumbled to the other.

"Don't worry, there's no one around to hear. This damn building is deser-" The large man with a hard accent stopped mid-sentence when he saw the two on the couch. His eyes narrowed, scanning their faces.

Kano stared back his eyes wide as headlights. Kido was still sleeping; her music drowning out the loud noise and the voices that followed. He couldn't move. He couldn't wake her. He could only sit there, frozen in his seat, unable to tear his golden eyes away from the two men staring at him.

His memories flooded back to the surface, washing over him in waves of agony and terror. His mother. The robbers. Stabbing. The pain. His inability to help. His inability to function, to protect her or himself. Everything came back.

He was back inside his apartment, reliving the attack. His mother was tied up. He tried to untie her. He couldn't. The robber was there. He tried to get her jewelry back. He couldn't. He was thrown again the wall. He tried to get up. He couldn't. His mother was stabbed. He tried to escape. He couldn't. He was stabbed. Pain. Blood. Darkness.

Fear. Fear overwhelmed him, pulsing through his veins like liquid nitrogen. He couldn't move. He couldn't run. He couldn't even scream.

The robbers continued staring at him. The oldest was the first to move. He walked over, grinning through his mask. "You're going to stay quiet, riiight?" he said, holding out the last syllable. He spoke in a low, intimidating voice. " You're going to be a good boy, riiight? You're not going to tell anyone we were here, riiight?" His tone was condescending as he leaned towards Kano, drawing his attention towards the glinting knife blade in the man's hand. The man glanced at Kido, reaching forward to caress her pale cheek with a single, disgusting finger.

Kano wanted to scream at him to stop, to leave her alone. He wanted to push him away. He wanted to protect Kido from this creep.

He couldn't. He could only shake in his seat, shivering uncontrollably while staring at the knife. Kido suddenly seemed so much heavier, like his mother's body had been all those years ago as she died protecting him. He could feel that weight again. The same screams welled up in his throats but died behind his closed lips.

The smaller man had come forward, eagerly elbowing his partner, who turned towards him. They were whispering about something that Kano couldn't hear. His loud heartbeat was drowning everything else out.

He shook harder, so hard Kido woke up. She opened her tired eyes a little then closed them again, bothered by the light flooding into her pupils.

She saw the moving shapes in front of her and figured the gang had returned... She sat up, blushing. What would they think, seeing her sleeping against Kano? What would they say? Would they tease them? 'It's not like I'm in love with this idiot,' she would stutter 'I probably fell against him.' She knew both those things were complete lies but what else could she-

Her black eyes widened. The two standing before her weren't her friends. The two standing before her weren't friends at all. They were taller, their faces hidden behind black ski masks.

The shorter one was facing her but not looking at her. He was talking to the taller, larger one who had his back to her. They were speaking a language she didn't understand.

She glanced at Kano, who was tense and petrified on the couch beside her. He couldn't take his fearful eyes off the two men.

She wanted to disappear, to make both her and Kano disappear from their sight but she couldn't. Her powers wouldn't cooperate. She was as visible as a black stain on white paper.

"Augh look what you've done!" the shorter one exclaimed in broken Japanese, drawing Kido's attention back to him.

The older one turned around. His narrowed eyes glanced from Kano to Kido and back again. He took a few steps forward till he stood directly in front of Kano. His large hand reached forward and grabbed a handful of Kano's blond hair. He pulled his knife out and held it to Kano's throat just underneath his quivering chin. "You were supposed to stay quiet; to behave like a good boy." He pushed the sharp blade of the cold knife into Kano's skin. The boy still couldn't move.

Kido lashed out instinctively, swiveling to kick the knife out of his hand. It scraped against Kano's chin but didn't break skin. The silver dagger flipped through the air a few times before landing on the floor beside the couch. The man pulled away, rubbing his arm. His eyes grew angrier, furious even.

Kido didn't waste a second. She grabbed Kano's hand, intending to pull him with her to the door and escape from the hideout. They would run until they were safe, then call the others to warn them. They would go to the police station and let officers handle the robbers. They and the rest of the group would hide somewhere else until the robbers were caught. They would all be safe and unharmed.

That plan slipped through the cracks between the floorboards and disappeared. Kano went limp, falling over on the couch. He still shook like an earthquake. He couldn't move and she couldn't carry him.

They would kill him if she left. She couldn't get the police. She couldn't warn the others. She couldn't leave him.

The man had recovered and now the smaller one was joining in, eager for a fight like a newbie in a gang. They both looked pissed off.

Kido glanced at the blond log on the couch before moving to stand in front of him. She had to protect him. What other choice did she have? She couldn't let him get hurt; she loved him too much.

The larger one moved first, slashing at her neck with his right hand. She dodged that only to take a powerful punch to the stomach from his left. She fell the ground, landing hard on her knees.

The smaller one moved towards Kano with a silver, slightly rusted dagger. Planting her hand on the ground, she leaned against it and turned with her leg sticking out, hitting the attacker behind the knees. He fell on his butt.

The large one had enough time to pull her hood off and lift her up by her hair, placing the knife against her throat. She tried to kick him but lost her balance, falling back on Kano's legs. The knife cut her chin.

From her seated position she was able to forced her foot between his legs, kicking upward with all her strength. The man fell away, groaning loudly and letting the knife drop to the ground.

The younger one was on her a second later. He grabbed both her legs and pulled her to the ground, straddling her hips and holding the knife to her chest. Anger shone in his wild eyes.

She tried to turn, to roll away, but he pushed against her left shoulder, keeping her grounded. "You shouldn't have done that." he said, his voice low and angry. She felt the tip on the knife on her. It cut easily through her jacket and the shirt underneath, resting on her skin.

She reached up, aiming her curved punch for his face. She hit the back his head with half her hand, awkwardly causing his head to turn away from him. He gritted his teeth and turned towards her again.

The knife had broken through her skin before she could pull her fist back again. She felt the cold blade for only a moment before it pushed through her heart. Hot blood spurted from the hole as he pulled the knife from her chest.

Her eyes widened as she realized what happened. She coughed once, twice, blood rushing through her throat and out her mouth, then felt her eyelids getting heavy. Darkness crept through her vision, hiding the face of her murderer. Her breathing slowed then stopped. Her tense muscles relaxed.

The short man got up and shook his head, his eyes wide with horror. The knife slipped through his fingers. It fell to the floor with a soft 'clang.' He pressed his bloody hands into his temples as though to stop the realization from hitting him. His horrified eyes watched the blood staining Kido's jacket envelop the iPod design in crimson.

He bolted from the room. He never intended to hurt anyone. He didn't mean to kill her. It was an accident. An accident!

The older man followed quickly, still in pain from Kido's final kick. He chased after his younger partner until the two had disappeared behind a corner.

Kano's eye opened a few minutes later, his brain final registering the return of the silence. He sat up, looking around for the robbers.

His eyes stopped on Kido. She lay sprawled on the floor in a pool of blood. She wasn't moving.

"Tsu-Tsubomi?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Tsubomi say something. Tsubomi? Hey, are you okay? Tsubomi?" He forced his leaden legs to move off the couch. He fell to the floor, unable to stand.

On hands and knees he crawled to her. He crawled until he was beside her. He brushed the hair out of her face. "Tsubomi?" he asked again, his voice shaking and high. Tears blurred his vision. He could barely breathe. "Tsubomi say something. Please!" Warm tears fell on her cold, lifeless face. "Please yell at me, call me stupid," he started sobbing between words, his lips barely able to form syllables. His throat was so tight the air could barely push its way out. "Punch me, slap me, please, just do something! Don't just lie there! Please... Tsubomi..." He knew it was useless. His words were falling on deaf ears. He gently lifted her limp head, placing it on his lap so she would be more comfortable.

The floor was hard and cold. There was no way she could sleep like that.

She was only sleeping, right?

"Please..."

She would wake up soon, right?

"Please..."


	3. Future

The cold, heartless wind seemed to blow right through him. He couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything but the emptiness that had taken the place of his heart. He himself was cold, nothing but a mask and shell.

He stared at her tombstone with a blank expression, reading the words over and over again. The name no longer meant anything. It no longer made sense to him. The images running through his mind every time he saw that name no longer made sense. They were broken fragments of memories he no longer had.

"Tsubomi..." He whispered it, each syllable familiar on his lips. He saw a face in his mind, disappearing the next instant. He struggled to recall the way her eyes lit up when she smiled. He desperately tried to remember the way her hair fell in front of her face.

"Idiot." he whispered to himself, wishing he could hear her say it. He whispered the word over and over again until it no longer made sense. Her voice stayed just beyond his reach.

His legs gave out. He found himself on the ground, kneeling in front of the gray stone. The fresh flowers in front of him gave an ironic contrast to the lifelessness of the tombstone.

"Wake up..." he whispered. He didn't know whether he was talking to her or himself. He wanted these past three years to be nothing but a nightmare. He wanted to leave these three years without her behind and be by her side again.

And that was precisely what he planned to do.

The others didn't know. He had left before the shattered remains of Mekakushi Dan awoke. He had walked here with the sun rising behind him, casting his shadow further forward with each step. It had teased him, taunting him with each step it took in sync to his. It reminded him of how alone he was; with no one but that shadow to keep him company. There used to be another shadow next to his, one that would hold hands with his.

But that shadow was gone. That shadow had left this world forever.

He would soon leave as well and rejoin that shadow.

He stood, pushing against the cold ground with his numb hands. He kept looking at the tomb stone.

Are these words all that are left of the girl he loved? Are these lifeless combinations of letters the only evidence of her existence? They don't tell her story. They don't describe the way she used to laugh quietly so no one would her her. They don't illustrate the caring side of her that became the mother and older sister the orphans had lost. They're just strings of letters; just syllables. They hold nothing more than empty sounds.

He tore his eyes away from them and looked at the deep blue water across from him. He took a few steps away from the grave, then returned, slipping his black and white jacket off his shoulders and draping it over the gray stone. He didn't want her to be cold, buried so far beneath the sunlight's warmth.

He walked slowly, nonchalantly to the edge of the water, staring into it. The cold surface called to him, drew him closer towards it.

He used to be afraid of the water, ever since he heard what had happened to Seto. He had never learned how to swim; he had always been too scared.

But he wasn't now. Now he felt nothing. No fear; no hesitation.

He plunged, spreading his arms out like an eagle and allowing gravity to bring him down. The cold water welcomed him in, wrapping its icy arms around him in a deathly embrace.

Darkness lay ahead of him, impenetrable by the light above him. He floated slowly towards it.

His lungs begged for air but he didn't comply. His body was too heavy to move, even if he'd had a desire to.

The water grew colder as he floated further downwards. His head was aching, a pounding ache that pulsed behind his dull yellow eyes.

A faint shape moved in the water below him. It glowed and pulsated at the same pace as his rapid heartbeat.

He knew his mind was playing tricks on him, but he chose to believe it anyways. He chose to believe that Kido was sitting on the bottom of the lake, burying her head into her knees. He called out to her, what little air he had left escaping from his quivering lips.

She turned her head towards him. Her face was so sad, so very, very sad. Her eyes held so much loneliness he thought they might shatter like marbles.

With the small amount of strength remaining in his arm, he pushed through the water and reached towards her. She held her arm out to him, welcoming him. His cold, numb fingers reached hers.

He knew he was smiling. Even as his body gave up, he felt relief, happiness even. He was finally reunited with her; with the girl he loved more than the world. After three long years, they were finally together again.

He would never let them be separated again.


End file.
